Western University

Faculty of Health Sciences

School of Kinesiology

Kin 3402A: Introduction to Clinical Kinesiology

Fall 2023

Instructor: Dr. Marc Mitchell Lectures: M/W/F

Office: Thames Hall rm. 4147
Email: marc.mitchell@uwo.ca Instruction Mode: In person, Location TBD
Phone: 519-661-2111 ext. 87936
Office Hrs: Every other Friday 9-10am, by
appoint (use OWL ‘Sign-up’’).
TAs:
TBD

NOTE: All course information including grades, assignment outlines, deadlines, etc. are available
via OWL. Check the website regularly for course announcements.

Calendar Course Description (including prerequisites/anti-requisites):

This course is designed to develop an understanding of how Kinesiology can be applied in a

professional context to enhance the health, wellness, and functional capacity of clients. Students
will learn the fundamentals of clinical kinesiology including program models, clinical skills,
privacy/ethics considerations, with the purpose of introducing the practice of Clinical Kinesiology.
Anti-requisite(s): the former Kinesiology 3421A/B.

Prerequisite(s): Registration in the School of Kinesiology.

Extra Information: 3 lecture hours.

You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course pre-requisites, and
that you have not taken an anti-requisite course.

Statement on Prerequisite Checking

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to
enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This
decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are
dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites

NOTE: If you wish to enroll in this course without the stated pre-requisite(s), you must obtain
written approval from the course instructor. The approval should then be forwarded to your
academic counsellor.

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My Course Description

This course will assist students in developing an understanding of how Kinesiology can be applied in
a clinical context to enhance the health, wellness, and functional capacity of clients and/or
populations. The course objective is to introduce the practice of Clinical Kinesiology by providing an
overview of some of the fundamentals of the profession, including: its place in the Ontario context,
core competencies and scope of practice, professionalism, practice settings and program models,
clinical and non-clinical skills, exercise prescription, and digital solutions. This course will be
delivered in lectures and facilitated by partner and group activities using problem and case-based
learning approaches. Written assignments will facilitate knowledge building and skill development as
well.

Learning Outcomes/Schedule:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify and delineate the origin of Clinical Kinesiology and its place within the Ontario
healthcare system, the core competencies of a Registered Kinesiologist as defined by the College of
Kinesiologists of Ontario, as well as theoretical terms, concepts, and philosophies related to the
profession. (Knowledge)

2. Compare and contrast Clinical Kinesiology practice settings, program models, clinical
skills/decisions, and digital solutions pertaining to the profession. (Analysis)

3. Synthesize research and practical knowledge about the Clinical Kinesiology profession and
determine how these might be applied in clinical and non-clinical settings. (Comprehension)

4. Begin to Develop skills in professional, ethical, and clinical decision making as they pertain to the
work of a Registered Kinesiologist. (Application)

5. Further develop abilities to critically reflect upon own learning and relate to the topics discussed
in class. (Reflection)

Required Course Material/Text:

ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th Ed.). All other required readings will
be posted on OWL.

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Course Evaluation Overview:

1. Participation (e.g., podcast & webinar quizzes, 5%

lecture attendance, student course evaluation, etc.)
2. Tracking Assignment(s): ‘signed’ contract due 5%
second Friday of term (0.5%), diaries due during
last 5 days of semester Month 1, 2 and 3 (3 x 1.5%)
3. Test 1 (Sept 22) 5%
4. Policy brief (Sept 29) 20% (15% if myth presenter)
5. Test 2 (Oct 13) 25% (20% if myth presenter)
6. Myths Debunked (optional 2-min myth presentation; 15% (optional)
Dec 1, 4 and 6)
7. Final exam (to be scheduled by Registrar) 40% (35% if myth presenter)

Late Policy

Assignments are due as stated in the course syllabus. Late assignments will be penalized at a rate
of 10% per day. If assignment is due at 11:55pm on a given day 10% will be lost for late submission
even if only by 1 minute e.g., 11:56pm will be docked 10%. Assignments that are not submitted at all
will receive a zero (0).

A missed mid-term examination (in our case, this is Test 1 and Test 2), without appropriate
documentation will result in a zero (0) grade. Acceptable reasons might include hospital stays,
serious illness, family emergencies (like serious accidents, illness or death) or similar circumstances.

Under such circumstances, make-up mid-terms/tests will be available on September 27, 2023 and
October 20, 2023 for Tests 1 and 2, respectively. Students unable to write the make-up mid-
terms/tests will have the weight of that test pushed to the final exam.

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Course Evaluation Details:

1. Participation (5%)

Complete brief MC quizzes on OWL on content related to guest speaker presentations, assigned
Registered Kinesiologist podcasts, and other new and notable content featured during the semester.

2. Tracking Assignment (5%)

Let’s practice what we preach! For this semester-long assignment I would like for you to track your
daily physical activity. #1 Using your wearable device or smartphone record the number of steps you
take each day on the calendar provided. #2 Track gym or exercise class attendance using the
calendar provided (e.g., “Weights at gym 60 min” or “Yoga 45 min” or “Spin class 20 min”). The point
is that I would like for you to self-monitor your physical activity (broadly defined) this entire semester
(starting on the first day of class and ending on the last day of class). This assignment is made up of
four components:

Commitment contract (0.5% x 1): Due the second Friday of the term (see OWL for contract) and
submit electronically via OWL. Late contracts will result in lost marks (0.25 marks per day).

Diary completion (1.5% x 3): This assignment will be deemed 100% ‘complete’ if tracking
assignment/diaries (with days officially tracked for that month) are submitted via OWL within the 5-
day due date zone (11:55 pm absolute deadline on last day of month). The 2nd and 3rd submissions
should also indicate whether your physical activity has a) increased, b) decreased, or c) stayed
about the same compared to the previous month (at least one metric (e.g., gym visits in a month,
average daily step count, other) should be used to quantify your assessment). Complete
assignments (regardless of amount of activity completed) will earn full marks.

Peer assessment: You will be asked to mark your peers’ ‘Tracking Assignments’. Every time you
submit a part of this assignment we will ask that you mark three of your peers submissions as well,
within 7 days, using posted criteria. Marks lost if peer assessments not completed.

3. Test 1 (5%)

Multiple choice test covering content from Lectures 1 to 6. This “mini-test” should help you prepare
your policy brief as well (below). Do not let the term “policy brief” intimidate you! You are simply
making a 1-page case to fund Registered Kinesiologists. See below for ample guidance.

4. Policy Brief (20%)

*The below description is subject to minor adjustments.

Since 2007, Kinesiology has been a regulated health profession in Ontario. The province does not
fund Kinesiology services, however. The province does provide a tax incentive, but it is meager,
and not likely useful for most Ontarians. Some Family Health Teams in Ontario include
Kinesiologists as part of their inter-disciplinary teams, but decisions to fund the position are made on
a clinic-by-clinic basis. Furthermore, most insurance companies do not cover expenses incurred for
Kinesiology services for plan members (though some are starting to). Some companies and
organizations allow for Kinesiology services to be reimbursed as part of flexible ‘health spending’
accounts, but these options are limited and piecemeal. One of the main barriers to broad
‘integration’ of Kinesiology into Ontario’s health and wellness sector is lack of funding.

In this era of fiscal constraint and COVID-19 repercussions, please argue FOR or AGAINST
extended funding for Kinesiology services in Ontario in a 1-page policy brief. FYI no student has
argued against funding yet! Maybe you’ll be the first – I would love to see it. Be sure to zero your
argument in on one specific Kinesiology service (refer to ‘Essential Competencies’) that you think

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warrants additional funding. Also, in this policy brief, your ‘audience’ should be EITHER Ontario’s
Deputy Minister of Health, or an insurance company decision-maker (include who you are
addressing in the “header” section of the brief). Each has distinct but similar set of concerns which
you should outline in the ‘Introduction’ of your policy brief. For instance, the Deputy wants to spend
taxpayer dollars as efficiently as possible, but also needs to help the government of the day achieve
their policy objectives. On the other hand, the insurance company decision-maker wonders how she
can reduce the cost burden that chronic disease medications and short- and long-term disability put
on her company shoulders.

The policy brief should include the following elements (see ‘How To’ Article for further guidance):

1) In ‘header’ indicate your Audience, and include your Name and Student Number.
2) Short and Catchy Title (10 words or less; 1 point)
3) Introduction (define the problem; 4 points)
4) Recommendation (state the policy and list relevant Competencies; 4 points)
5) Evidence (best data supporting policy recommendation; 4 points)
6) Implications (of action/inaction, the pros/cons, etc. see ‘How To’ for tips on providing a balanced
view of your policy recommendation; 4 points)
7) References (academic articles or ‘white papers’; 2 points)
8) Visual appeal (use colours, white space, tables/graphs, etc. 1 point)

Note: These points serve as the rubric for this policy brief for a total of 20 marks.

The most important thing here (and in the real world) is to be as specific as possible with
your "Recommendation".

This means recommending (or not recommending) new funding for Clinical Kinesiologists working in
such and such a setting (hospital, family medicine clinic, workplaces, out on their own) with such
and such a population (young adults transitioning out of college/university, office-based workers,
older adults with type 2 diabetes) in such and such a capacity (here's where the ‘Essential
Competencies’ document is useful). Here you should list 3-5 Essential Competencies needed for an
RKin to execute the recommendation/policy (e.g., Competencies 1.7, 2.6, 3.9 and 4.2). You can also
refer to the Ontario Kinesiology Association's website for a list of things kinesiologists "do" here:
http://www.oka.on.ca/site/what-is-a-kinesiologist).

The policy brief should be no more than 1-page (minimum 12-pt Times New Roman font – OK if title
is larger font; 1-inch side margins; references should be printed on the back-side of the brief).
Remember, brevity is the objective here so use of sub-headings, short sentences, bullet points,
images/graphs (that add value and where appropriate) and/or ample white space is encouraged. It is
important for students to be able to locate key references to support their policy recommendation
(academic references and high quality ‘white papers’ (e.g., government or industry reports) are
acceptable). The reference section should include 5 to a maximum of 10 references presented in
any standard format that uses super-scripted numbers in text. No need to reference the Essential
Competencies document.

All policy briefs are due by the beginning of class on Friday, Sept 30. Please submit a colour
hardcopy in class, as well as an electronic copy on OWL. “Turn It In” software will be used to check
for plagiarism (e.g., quoting references directly without using quotations, etc.)

5. Test 2 (25%)
Every healthcare professional at some point comes face-to-face with an ethical dilemma or legal
issue – they can happen almost daily, in fact. The dilemmas and issues are many and varied and
could involve anything from a conflict with a colleague or superior, to a privacy breach (e.g., client
personal health information gone missing), to a complaint by a client to your regulatory body about
the quality of your service. In this test, 2 to 3 ethical cases will be presented and using the

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information presented in class you will be asked to answer a total of 25 to 30 multiple choice
questions related to the cases.

6. Myths Debunked (15%; optional presentations)

The purpose of this 2-min presentation (4 slides) will be to dispel a commonly held belief (myth)
about physical activity. The presentation should peak the audience’s interest, be evidence based,
and succinct. A 1% course mark deduction will be applied for those who ‘sign-up’ but decide later not
to participate.

5. Final Examination (40%)

The final exam will be cumulative (meaning all material covered since the first class will be fair
game). However, about 25% of the exam material will be drawn from the first 2/3 of the course
(before Ethics Test), and about 75% from the second half.

Weekly Schedule

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Week General Content Readings
Week 1 Introduction -College of Kinesiologists of Ontario
(COKO): Essential Competencies
Week 2 What Clinical Kinesiologist do, -The Globe & Mail Articles
and where?
Week 3 Exercise is Medicine -American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM Guidelines 11th ed.): Chapter
1

Week 4 Professionalism/Ethics -COKO ‘Standards’ including:

Ethics, Boundaries, Scope, Consent,
Privacy
Week 5 Professionalism/Ethics -Same as above

Week 6 Professionalism/Ethics -Same as above

*Thanksgiving Monday
Week 7 Clinical skill #1-3: Screening, -ACSM: Chapter 2 & 3
Medical History, Risk Factors
Week 8 Clinical skill #4: Fitness Testing -ACSM: Chapter 2 & 3

Week 9 Reading Break Reading Break`

Week 10 Clinical skill #5: -ACSM: Chapter 5 & 6

Aerobic exercise prescription
Week 11 Clinical skill #5: -ACSM: Chapter 5 & 6
Aerobic exercise prescription
Week 12 Clinical skill #5: -ACSM: Chapter 5 & 6
Resistance exercise prescription
Week 13 Myth Debunked – Student
Presentations

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 Course/University Policies

1. The website for Registrarial Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca.

In accordance with policy, the centrally administered e-mail account provided to

students will be considered the individual’s official university e-mail address. It is the
responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail received from the University at
his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner.

2. Academic Offences
Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the
appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, in
the Academic Calendar (westerncalendar.uwo.ca).

Plagiarism
Student work is expected to be original. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence
and could lead to a zero on the assignment in question, a zero in this course, or
your expulsion from the university. You are plagiarizing if you insert a phrase,
sentence or paragraph taken directly from another author without acknowledging
that the work belongs to him/her. Similarly, you are plagiarizing if you paraphrase
or summarize another author’s ideas without acknowledging that the ideas
belong to someone else. All papers may be subject to submission for textual
similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to
the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be
included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the
service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western
University and Turnitin.com (www.turnitin.com).

Re-submission of Previously Graded Material

Without the explicit written permission of the instructor, you may not submit any
academic work for which credit has been obtained previously, or for which credit
is being sought, in another course or program of study in the University or
elsewhere.

Use of Statistical Pattern Recognition on Multiple Choice Exams

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to
submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual
coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

3. Use of Electronic Devices

During Exams: Unless you have medical accommodations that require you to
do so, or explicit permission from the instructor of the course, you may not use
any electronic devices during ANY tests, quizzes, midterms, examinations, or
other in-class evaluations.

During Lectures and Tutorials: Although you are welcome to use a computer
during lecture and tutorial periods, you are expected to use the computer for
scholastic purposes only, and refrain from engaging in any activities that may

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 distract other students from learning. From time to time, your professor may ask
the class to turn off all computers, to facilitate learning or discussion of the
material presented in a particular class. Unless explicitly noted otherwise,
you may not make audio or video recordings of lectures – nor may you edit,
re-use, distribute, or re-broadcast any of the material posted to the course
website.

Personal Response Systems (“clickers”) may be used in some classes. For

those classes in which we use this technology, it is your responsibility to ensure
that the device is activated and functional. You must speak with the course
instructor immediately, if you have any concerns about whether or not your
clicker is malfunctioning.
You must use only your own clicker. For all components of this course in which
clicker records are used to compute a portion of the grade:
• The use of somebody else’s clicker in class constitutes a scholastic offence;
• The possession of a clicker belonging to another student will be interpreted as
an attempt to commit a scholastic offense

4. Academic Considerations and Absences from Lectures and Assessments

Religious Accommodation
When a course requirement conflicts with a religious holiday that requires an
absence from the University or prohibits certain activities, students should
request (in writing) any necessary academic considerations at least two weeks
prior to the holiday to the academic counsellors in their Home Department.
Additional information is provided in the Western Multicultural Calendar.

Academic Accommodation
Please contact the course instructor if you require lecture or printed material in
an alternate format or if any other arrangements can make this course more
accessible to you. Students with ongoing accommodation needs within this
course are also encouraged to contact Accessible Education, which provides
recommendations for accommodation based on medical documentation or
psychological and cognitive testing. The policy on Academic Accommodation
for Students with Disabilities can be found here.

Academic Consideration
The University recognizes that a student’s ability to meet their academic
responsibilities may, on occasion, be impaired by extenuating circumstances that
are medical or compassionate in nature. These extenuating circumstances may
be acute (short term), or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute
episodes. In all cases, students are advised to consult with the academic
counsellors in their home units, at their earliest opportunity. Academic
counsellors may refer students to Accessible Education for ongoing academic
accommodations.

Most forms of academic consideration require documentation, and this

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 documentation is to be submitted to academic counsellors within five (5)
business days of their return to academic responsibilities. Any such documents
will be retained in the student’s file, and will be held in confidence in accordance
with the University’s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy. Once the
petition and supporting documents have been received and assessed,
appropriate academic considerations shall be determined by academic
counseling, in consultation with the student’s instructor(s). Academic
considerations may include extension of deadlines, waiver of attendance
requirements for classes/labs/tutorials, arranging Special Exams or Incompletes,
re-weighting course requirements, or granting late withdrawals without academic
penalty. Academic considerations shall be granted only where the documentation
indicates that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such that the
student could not reasonably be expected to complete their academic
responsibilities. (Note – it will not be sufficient to provide documentation
indicating simply that the student “was seen for a medical reason” or “was ill.”).

Whenever possible, students who require academic considerations should

provide notification and documentation in advance of due dates, examinations,
etc. Under no circumstances are students expected to submit rationales for (or
documentation of) any absences, to course instructors. Students are, however,
required to follow-up with course instructors, in a timely fashion, to identify the
ways in which the academic consideration will be implemented.

Examination Conflicts
A student completing tests or examinations with flexible submission times (e.g.,
where one or more evaluation is a take-home assessment) cannot request
alternative arrangements unless a conflict cannot be avoided by rescheduling
writing the exam to a different time within the window specified by the instructor.
This applies to direct conflicts as well as “heavy load” conflicts (e.g., three exams
within a 23-hour period). The student should discuss any concerns about a
potential conflict and/or request academic considerations with their academic
counselling unit prior to the deadline to drop a course without academic penalty

In the case of online tests and examinations, use of a “Conflict Room,” wherein
student can write two proctored exams concurrently, will be interpreted as
arrangements for continuous proctoring.

5. Contingency Plan for an In-Person Class Pivoting to 100% Online Learning

In the event of a situation that requires this course to pivot to online content delivery, all
remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at
the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for
students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any
remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course
instructor

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the
chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious
online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

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6. Online Proctoring
Tests and examinations in this course may be conducted using a remote
proctoring service. By taking this course, you are consenting to the use of this
software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide personal
information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded.
Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection
and a device that meets the technical requirements for this service. More
information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements,
is available on Western’s Remote Proctoring website at:
https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca.

7. Grades
Where possible assignment objectives and rubrics will be posted on OWL.
Generally, students can expect some form of feedback on their performance in a course before the
drop date.
□ November 13th, 2023 (for first term half-courses)
□ November 30th, 2023 (for full-year courses)
□ March 7th, 2024 (for second term half-or full year courses)

A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements and eminently
satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable.
F below 50 Fail

Rounding of Grades (for example, bumping a 79 to 80%):

This is a practice some students request. The final grade documented is the grade that you
have achieved. There is no rounding to the next grade level, or ‘giving away’ of marks. Please
don’t ask me to do this for you; the response will be “please review the course outline where
this is presented”.

Appealing a Grade Within this Course

You have the right to appeal any grade within this course. The grounds for a
grade appeal may be one or more of: medical or compassionate circumstances,
extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control, bias, inaccuracy, or
unfairness. All grounds advanced in a request for relief must be supported by a
clear and detailed explanation of the reasons for the request together with all
supporting documentation.

Appeals generally proceed in this order:

1. Course instructor (informal consultation)

2. Department Chair (submission of written request)
3. The Dean of the Faculty (submission of written request)

In the case of perceived procedural unfairness, steps 2 and 3 are carried out within
the Department and Faculty offering the course. In the case of extenuating
medical or compassionate circumstances that impact on a grade, steps 2 and 3
are carried out within a student’s Home Department and Faculty.

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 A request for relief against a mark or grade must be initiated with the instructor as
soon as possible after the mark is issued. In the event that the instructor is not
available to the student, or fails to act, or if the matter is not resolved satisfactorily
with the instructor, a written request for relief must be submitted to the Chair of the
Department within three weeks of the date that the mark was issued. In the case of
a final grade in a course, the written request for relief must be submitted to the
Chair of the department by January 31st (for first-term half courses) or June 30th
(for second-term half courses or full-year courses

8. Support Services
Health and Wellness:
Information regarding health and wellness-related services available to students may be found
at http://www.health.uwo.ca/.

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western

(http://www.health.uwo.ca/) for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.

There are various support services around campus and these include, but are not limited to:
Student Development Centre -- http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/
Ombudsperson Office -- http://www.uwo.ca/ombuds/

9. Student Code of Conduct

The purpose of the Code of Student Conduct is to define the general standard of conduct expected
of students registered at Western University, provide examples of behaviour that constitutes a
breach of this standard of conduct, provide examples of sanctions that may be imposed and set out
the disciplinary procedures that the University will follow. For more information, visit
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/board/code.pdf

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